JoJo's Bizarre Adventure features the entire Joestar family as an ensemble protagonist of sorts, with Jonathan Joestar being the first. While Dio Brando was Jonathan's worst enemy, a certain Robert E. O. Speedwagon was his best friend and #1 emotional supporter. This quickly endeared him to fans.
Every Joestar hero has one or more JoBros, with Caesar Zeppeli being the JoBro to Joseph Joestar and Noriaki Kakyoin being an early JoBro for Jotaro Kujo in Stardust Crusaders. Did Speedwagon earn his title as "best waifu" entirely by his own merits, or is the JoJo community simply humoring him? The truth is a bit of both.
How Robert Speedwagon Supported The Joestar Heroes
Robert E.O. Speedwagon was introduced early in the Phantom Blood story arc as a minor antagonist, but that didn't last long. Jonathan Joestar took a risk and visited London's shady Ogre Street one night to find medicine for his dying father, where a gang of thugs cornered him. One of them was Speedwagon, with a top hat loaded with ultra-sharp blades that he could toss like a deadly Frisbee. Jonathan stood firm though, knocking down his attackers one by one and even kicking Speedwagon in the face. Speedwagon knew he couldn't win, but he had other reasons to back off. He was deeply impressed with Jonathan's manly and brave spirit, and switched sides at once.
Speedwagon gladly gave up his thuggish life to support someone else instead of himself, and he was there when the villainous Dio Brando donned the Aztec mask and became a vampire. He was powerless to stop Dio, but tagged along when Jonathan went on a quest to learn the ways of Hamon and defeat Dio once and for all. Shortly before Jonathan's tragic sacrifice, Speedwagon was already making plans to support the Joestar family more thoroughly. Why not create an entire foundation to provide logistical aid to the Joestars in all their heroic endeavors? No one even asked Speedwagon to do this, but he did it anyway, and this foundation would appear later on.
Speedwagon appeared again in the Battle Tendency arc, and remained an enthusiastic supporter of the Joestars. He attended Erina Pendleton's funeral at the end of that story arc, and the epilogue made clear that Speedwagon continued his successful business ventures until his death at age 89, in 1952. His legacy lived on with the foundation, which provided aid to future Joestars such as Joseph and Jotaro.
Why Fans Love Robert Speedwagon
Robert Speedwagon played a crucial role early in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, and his legacy has continued to influence the story ever since. As for his massive popularity, there are a few factors at work. His foundation, dedicated to aiding the Joestars in many ways, was a unique entity in the story. This sets Speedwagon apart from the other JoBros and supporting cast, and it was the Speedwagon Foundation that designed Joseph's mechanical hand and evacuated Jotaro and Joseph after Dio was finally slain in Cairo. No one else thought to do this.
Speedwagon was intensely loyal to the Joestars and bravely followed them around, despite not having a Stand of his own. It's easy to take a Joestar's side with a Stand to defend yourself, but Speedwagon had neither that nor Hamon talents, yet his brave heart kept him by Jonathan's side all the same. As a bonus, Speedwagon is the very first JoBro, setting the trend for all JoBros to follow. Due to all this and more, Speedwagon left some big shoes for future JoBros to fill, deservedly earning his status as a classic waifu in the anime community.
Most of all, Speedwagon is beloved for his flamboyant style and emotional attachment to the Joestars. He is easily moved to tears when tragedy strikes but will only weep for his friends, never for himself. His loud but charming commentary -- while watching Jonathan do battle with Dio or dramatically noting that Joseph was unaware of Lisa Lisa being his mother -- also endeared him to fans. Being melodramatic and silly while also being completely cool is a classic trait in Jojo's Bizarre Adventure.
It may also be noted that Robert Speedwagon was a lifelong bachelor, meaning he was practically "married" to Jonathan Joestar in spirit. His heart belonged entirely to the Joestar family, and if the definition of "waifu" is stretched a bit, he qualifies. And, as some Redditors pointed out on the topic, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure fans simply have a lot of fun blowing things out of proportion to make memorable memes, including Robert Speedwagon's inexplicable rise as the fandom's #1 waifu. Many anime fans, in general, are in on the joke as well, including Robert Speedwagon in all-time favorite waifu tier lists, typically placing him in the highest tier.
The sheer absurdity of including a manly man like Robert Speedwagon in a list of idealized female partners helps take the ongoing gag to a new level. But these fans aren't using Robert E. O. Speedwagon as just a punchline as a waifu; the love for Speedwagon is real and may last for years to come.
